Microsoft Edge STIG SCAP Benchmark
V001.002R1 2022-09-09       U_MS_Edge_V1R2_STIG_SCAP_1-2_Benchmark.xml
This Security Technical Implementation Guide is published as a tool to improve the security of Department of Defense (DoD) information systems. The requirements are derived from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-53 and related documents. Comments or proposed revisions to this document should be sent via email to the following address: [email protected]
Vuln Rule Version CCI Severity Title Description
SV-235720r766832_rule EDGE-00-000002 CCI-000870 MEDIUM Bypassing Microsoft Defender SmartScreen prompts for sites must be disabled. This policy setting allows a decision to be made on whether users can override the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warnings about potentially malicious websites. If this setting is enabled, users cannot ignore Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warnings, and are blocked from continuing to the site. If this setting is disabled or not configured, users can ignore Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warnings and continue to the site.
SV-235721r766835_rule EDGE-00-000003 CCI-000870 MEDIUM Bypassing of Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warnings about downloads must be disabled. This policy setting allows a decision to be made on whether users can override Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warnings about unverified downloads. If this setting is enabled, users cannot ignore Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warnings, and are prevented from completing the unverified downloads. If this policy is disabled or not configured, users can ignore Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warnings and complete unverified downloads.
SV-235723r626523_rule EDGE-00-000005 CCI-000166 MEDIUM InPrivate mode must be disabled. This setting specifies whether the user can open pages in InPrivate mode in Microsoft Edge. If this policy is not configured or set it to "Enabled", users can open pages in InPrivate mode. Set this policy to "Disabled" to stop users from using InPrivate mode. Set this policy to "Forced" to always use InPrivate mode. Policy options mapping: - Enabled (0) = InPrivate mode available - Disabled (1) = InPrivate mode disabled - Forced (2) = InPrivate mode forced
SV-235724r766838_rule EDGE-00-000006 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Background processing must be disabled. Background processing allows Microsoft Edge processes to start at OS sign-in and keep running after the last browser window is closed. In this scenario, background apps and the current browsing session remain active, including any session cookies. An open background process displays an icon in the system tray, and can be closed from there. If this policy is enabled, background mode is turned on. If this policy is disabled, background mode is turned off. If this policy is not configured, background mode is initially turned off, and the user can configure its behavior in edge://settings/system.
SV-235725r626523_rule EDGE-00-000008 CCI-000381 MEDIUM The ability of sites to show pop-ups must be disabled. Set whether websites can show pop-up windows. Pop-ups can be allowed on all websites ("AllowPopups") or blocked on all sites ("BlockPopups"). If this policy is configured, pop-up windows are blocked by default, and users can change this setting. Policy options mapping: - AllowPopups (1) = Allow all sites to show pop-ups. - BlockPopups (2) = Do not allow any site to show pop-ups.
SV-235727r766843_rule EDGE-00-000010 CCI-000381 LOW Data Synchronization must be disabled. Disables data synchronization in Microsoft Edge. This policy also prevents the sync consent prompt from appearing. If this policy is not set or applied as recommended, users will be able to turn sync on or off. If this policy is applied as mandatory, users will not be able to turn on sync.
SV-235728r766845_rule EDGE-00-000011 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Network prediction must be disabled. Enables network prediction and prevents users from changing this setting. This controls DNS prefetching, TCP and SSL pre-connection, and pre-rendering of web pages. If this policy is not configured, network prediction is enabled but the user can change it. Policy options mapping: - NetworkPredictionAlways (0) = Predict network actions on any network connection. - NetworkPredictionWifiOnly (1) = Not supported; if this value is used it will be treated as if "Predict network actions on any network connection" (0) was set. - NetworkPredictionNever (2) = Do not predict network actions on any network connection.
SV-235729r766848_rule EDGE-00-000012 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Search suggestions must be disabled. Enables web search suggestions in the Microsoft Edge Address Bar and Auto-Suggest List, and prevents users from changing this policy. If this policy is enabled, web search suggestions are used. If this policy is disabled, web search suggestions are never used; however, local history and local favorites suggestions still appear. If this policy is disabled, neither the typed characters nor the URLs visited will be included in telemetry to Microsoft. If this policy is not set, search suggestions are enabled but the user can change that.
SV-235730r626523_rule EDGE-00-000013 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Importing of autofill form data must be disabled. Allows users to import autofill form data from another browser into Microsoft Edge. If this policy is enabled, the option to manually import autofill data is automatically selected. If this policy is disabled, autofill form data is not imported at first run, and users cannot import it manually. If this policy is not configured, autofill data is imported at first run, and users can choose whether to import this data manually during later browsing sessions. This policy cannot be set as a recommendation. This means that Microsoft Edge will import autofill data on first run, but users can select or clear autofill data option during manual import.
SV-235731r626523_rule EDGE-00-000014 CCI-000381 LOW Importing of browser settings must be disabled. Allows users to import browser settings from another browser into Microsoft Edge. If this policy is enabled, the Browser settings check box is automatically selected in the Import browser data dialog box. If this policy is disabled, browser settings are not imported at first run, and users cannot import them manually. If this policy is not configured, browser settings are imported at first run, and users can choose whether to import them manually during later browsing sessions.
SV-235732r626523_rule EDGE-00-000015 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Importing of cookies must be disabled. Allows users to import cookies from another browser into Microsoft Edge. If this policy is disabled, cookies are not imported on first run. If this policy is not configured, cookies are imported on first run.
SV-235733r626523_rule EDGE-00-000016 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Importing of extensions must be disabled. Allows users to import extensions from another browser into Microsoft Edge. If this policy is enabled, the Extensions check box is automatically selected in the Import browser data dialog box. If this policy is disabled, extensions are not imported at first run, and users cannot import them manually.
SV-235734r626540_rule EDGE-00-000017 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Importing of browsing history must be disabled. Allows users to import their browsing history from another browser into Microsoft Edge. If this policy is enabled, the Browsing history check box is automatically selected in the Import browser data dialog box. If this policy is disabled, browsing history data is not imported at first run, and users cannot import this data manually.
SV-235735r626523_rule EDGE-00-000018 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Importing of home page settings must be disabled. Allows users to import their home page setting from another browser into Microsoft Edge. If this policy is enabled, the option to manually import the home page setting is automatically selected. If this policy is disabled, the home page setting is not imported at first run, and users cannot import it manually.
SV-235736r626523_rule EDGE-00-000019 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Importing of open tabs must be disabled. Allows users to import open and pinned tabs from another browser into Microsoft Edge. If this policy is enabled, the Open tabs check box is automatically selected in the Import browser data dialog box. If this policy is disabled, open tabs are not imported at first run, and users cannot import them manually. If this policy is not configured, open tabs are imported at first run, and users can choose whether to import them manually during later browsing sessions.
SV-235737r626523_rule EDGE-00-000020 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Importing of payment info must be disabled. Allows users to import payment info from another browser into Microsoft Edge. If this policy is enabled, the payment info check box is automatically selected in the Import browser data dialog box. If this policy is disabled, payment info is not imported at first run, and users cannot import it manually.
SV-235738r626523_rule EDGE-00-000021 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Importing of saved passwords must be disabled. Allows users to import saved passwords from another browser into Microsoft Edge. If this policy is enabled, the option to manually import saved passwords is automatically selected. If this policy is disabled, saved passwords are not imported on first run, and users cannot import them manually.
SV-235739r626523_rule EDGE-00-000022 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Importing of search engine settings must be disabled. Allows users to import search engine settings from another browser into Microsoft Edge. If this policy is enabled, the option to import search engine settings is automatically selected. If this policy is disabled, search engine settings are not imported at first run, and users cannot import them manually.
SV-235740r626523_rule EDGE-00-000023 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Importing of shortcuts must be disabled. Allows users to import Shortcuts from another browser into Microsoft Edge. If this policy is disabled, Shortcuts are not imported on first run. If this policy is not configured, Shortcuts are imported on first run.
SV-235741r626523_rule EDGE-00-000024 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Autoplay must be disabled. This policy sets the media autoplay policy for websites. The default setting, "Not configured" respects the current media autoplay settings and lets users configure their autoplay settings. Setting to "Enabled" sets media autoplay to "Allow". All websites are allowed to autoplay media. Users cannot override this policy. Setting to "Disabled" sets media autoplay to "Block". No websites are allowed to autoplay media. Users cannot override this policy.
SV-235742r626523_rule EDGE-00-000025 CCI-000381 MEDIUM WebUSB must be disabled. Set whether websites can access connected USB devices. Access can be blocked completely or the user asked each time a website wants to get access to connected USB devices. Override this policy for specific URL patterns by using the WebUsbAskForUrls and WebUsbBlockedForUrls policies. If this policy is not configured, sites can ask users whether they can access the connected USB devices ('AskWebUsb') by default, and users can change this setting.
SV-235743r626523_rule EDGE-00-000026 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Google Cast must be disabled. Enable this policy to enable Google Cast. Users will be able to launch it from the app menu, page context menus, media controls on Cast-enabled websites, and (if shown) the Cast toolbar icon. Disable this policy to disable Google Cast. By default, Google Cast is enabled.
SV-235744r626523_rule EDGE-00-000027 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Web Bluetooth API must be disabled. Control whether websites can access nearby Bluetooth devices. Access can be blocked completely or the site required to ask the user each time it wants to access a Bluetooth device. If this policy is not configured, the default value ('AskWebBluetooth', meaning users are asked each time) is used and users can change it. Policy options mapping: - BlockWebBluetooth (2) = Do not allow any site to request access to Bluetooth devices via the Web Bluetooth API. - AskWebBluetooth (3) = Allow sites to ask the user to grant access to a nearby Bluetooth device.
SV-235745r626523_rule EDGE-00-000028 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Autofill for Credit Cards must be disabled. Enables the Microsoft Edge AutoFill feature and lets users auto complete credit card information in web forms using previously stored information. If this policy is disabled, AutoFill never suggests or fills credit card information, nor will it save additional credit card information that users might submit while browsing the web. If this policy is enabled or not configured, users can control AutoFill for credit cards.
SV-235746r626523_rule EDGE-00-000029 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Autofill for addresses must be disabled. Enables the AutoFill feature and allows users to auto-complete address information in web forms using previously stored information. If this policy is disabled, AutoFill never suggests or fills credit card information, nor will it save additional credit card information that users might submit while browsing the web. If this policy is enabled or not configured, users can control AutoFill for addresses in the user interface.
SV-235747r766851_rule EDGE-00-000030 CCI-000185 MEDIUM Online revocation checks must be performed. If you enable this policy, Microsoft Edge will perform soft-fail, online OCSP/CRL checks. "Soft fail" means that if the revocation server can't be reached, the certificate will be considered valid. If you disable the policy or don't configure it, Microsoft Edge won't perform online revocation checks.
SV-235748r626523_rule EDGE-00-000031 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Personalization of ads, search, and news by sending browsing history to Microsoft must be disabled. This policy prevents Microsoft from collecting a user's Microsoft Edge browsing history to be used for personalizing advertising, search, news and other Microsoft services. This setting is only available for users with a Microsoft account. This setting is not available for child accounts or enterprise accounts. If this policy is disabled, users cannot change or override the setting. If this policy is enabled or not configured, Microsoft Edge will default to the user's preference.
SV-235749r626523_rule EDGE-00-000032 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Site tracking of a user’s location must be disabled. Set whether websites can track users' physical locations. Tracking can be allowed by default ("AllowGeolocation") or denied by default ("BlockGeolocation"), or the user can be asked each time a website requests their location ("AskGeolocation"). If this policy is not configured, "AskGeolocation" is used and the user can change it. Policy options mapping: - AllowGeolocation (1) = Allow sites to track users' physical location. - BlockGeolocation (2) = Do not allow any site to track users' physical location. - AskGeolocation (3) = Ask whenever a site wants to track users' physical location.
SV-235750r626523_rule EDGE-00-000033 CCI-000166 MEDIUM Browser history must be saved. This setting disables deleting browser history and download history and prevents users from changing this setting.
SV-235751r626523_rule EDGE-00-000034 CCI-000381 LOW Edge development tools must be disabled. While the risk associated with browser development tools is more related to the proper design of a web application, a risk vector remains within the browser. The developer tools allow end users and application developers to view and edit all types of web application-related data via the browser. Page elements, source code, javascript, API calls, application data, etc., may all be viewed and potentially manipulated. Manipulation could be useful for troubleshooting legitimate issues, and this may be performed in a development environment. Manipulation could also be malicious and must be addressed.
SV-235752r862950_rule EDGE-00-000036 CCI-000381 LOW Download restrictions must be configured. Configure the type of downloads that Microsoft Edge completely blocks, without letting users override the security decision. Set "BlockDangerousDownloads" to allow all downloads except for those that carry Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warnings. Set "BlockPotentiallyDangerousDownloads" to allow all downloads except for those that carry Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warnings of potentially dangerous or unwanted downloads. Set "BlockAllDownloads" to block all downloads. If this policy is not configured or the 'DefaultDownloadSecurity' option set, downloads go through the usual security restrictions based on Microsoft Defender SmartScreen analysis results. Note that these restrictions apply to downloads from web page content, as well as the "download link..." context menu option. These restrictions do not apply to saving or downloading the currently displayed page, nor do they apply to the "Save as PDF" option from the printing options. See https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2094934 for more information on Microsoft Defender SmartScreen. Policy options mapping: - DefaultDownloadSecurity (0) = No special restrictions. - BlockDangerousDownloads (1) = Block malicious downloads and dangerous file types. - BlockPotentiallyDangerousDownloads (2) = Block potentially dangerous or unwanted downloads and dangerous file types. - BlockAllDownloads (3) = Block all downloads. - BlockMaliciousDownloads (4) = Block malicious downloads.
SV-235754r799955_rule EDGE-00-000041 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Extensions installation must be blocklisted by default. List specific extensions that users cannot install in Microsoft Edge. When this policy is deployed, any extensions on this list that were previously installed will be disabled, and the user will not be able to enable them. If an item is removed from the list of blocked extensions, the extension is automatically reenabled anywhere it was previously installed. Use "*" to block all extensions that are not explicitly listed in the allow list. If this policy is not configured, users can install any extension in Microsoft Edge.
SV-235756r850557_rule EDGE-00-000043 CCI-002007 MEDIUM The Password Manager must be disabled. Enable Microsoft Edge to save user passwords. If this policy is enabled, users can save their passwords in Microsoft Edge. The next time the user visits the site, Microsoft Edge will enter the password automatically.
SV-235759r626523_rule EDGE-00-000046 CCI-001453 HIGH Edge must be configured to allow only TLS. Sets the minimum supported version of SSL. If this policy is not configured, Microsoft Edge uses a default minimum version, TLS 1.0. If this policy is enabled, the minimum version can be set to one of the following values: "TLSv1", "TLSv1.1" or "TLSv1.2". When set, Microsoft Edge will not use any version of SSL/TLS lower than the specified version. Any unrecognized value is ignored. Policy options mapping: - TLSv1 (tls1) = TLS 1.0 - TLSv1.1 (tls1.1) = TLS 1.1 - TLSv1.2 (tls1.2) = TLS 1.2 NIST SP 800-52 specifies the preferred configurations for government systems.
SV-235760r626523_rule EDGE-00-000047 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Site isolation for every site must be enabled. The "SitePerProcess" policy can be used to prevent users from opting out of the default behavior of isolating all sites. The "IsolateOrigins" policy can be used to isolate additional, finer-grained origins. Enabling this policy prevents users from opting out of the default behavior where each site runs in its own process. If this policy is not disabled or configured, a user can opt out of site isolation (e.g., by using "Disable site isolation" entry in edge://flags.) Disabling the policy or not configuring the policy does not turn off Site Isolation.
SV-235761r766865_rule EDGE-00-000048 CCI-000382 MEDIUM Supported authentication schemes must be configured. This setting specifies which HTTP authentication schemes are supported. The policy can be configured by using these values: "basic", "digest", "ntlm", and "negotiate". Separate multiple values with commas. If this policy is not configured, all four schemes are used.
SV-235763r766868_rule EDGE-00-000050 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Microsoft Defender SmartScreen must be enabled. This policy setting configures Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, which provides warning messages to help protect users from potential phishing scams and malicious software. By default, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is turned on. If this setting is enabled, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is turned on. If this setting is disabled, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is turned off. If this setting is not configured, users can choose whether to use Microsoft Defender SmartScreen. This policy is available only on Windows instances that are joined to a Microsoft Active Directory domain, Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise instances that enrolled for device management, or macOS instances that are that are managed via MDM or joined to a domain via MCX.
SV-235764r766871_rule EDGE-00-000051 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Microsoft Defender SmartScreen must be configured to block potentially unwanted apps. This policy setting configures blocking for potentially unwanted apps with Microsoft Defender SmartScreen. Potentially unwanted app blocking with Microsoft Defender SmartScreen provides warning messages to help protect users from adware, coin miners, bundleware, and other low-reputation apps that are hosted by websites. Potentially unwanted app blocking with Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is turned off by default. If this setting is enabled, potentially unwanted app blocking with Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is turned on. If this setting is disabled, potentially unwanted app blocking with Microsoft Defender SmartScreen is turned off. If this setting is not configured, users can choose whether to use potentially unwanted app blocking with Microsoft Defender SmartScreen. This policy is available only on Windows instances that are joined to a Microsoft Active Directory domain, Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise instances that enrolled for device management, or macOS instances that are managed via MDM or joined to a domain via MCX.
SV-235765r626523_rule EDGE-00-000052 CCI-000381 LOW The download location prompt must be configured. This setting provides positive feedback before a download starts, limiting the possibility of inadvertent downloads without notifying the user.
SV-235766r766874_rule EDGE-00-000054 CCI-000388 MEDIUM Tracking of browsing activity must be disabled. The setting allows websites to be blocked from tracking users' web-browsing activity. If this policy is disabled or is not configured, users can set their own level of tracking prevention. Policy options mapping: - TrackingPreventionOff (0) = Off (no tracking prevention) - TrackingPreventionBasic (1) = Basic (blocks harmful trackers; content and ads will be personalized) - TrackingPreventionBalanced (2) = Balanced (blocks harmful trackers and trackers from sites user has not visited; content and ads will be less personalized) - TrackingPreventionStrict (3) = Strict (blocks harmful trackers and majority of trackers from all sites; content and ads will have minimal personalization; some parts of sites might not work)
SV-235767r626523_rule EDGE-00-000055 CCI-000389 MEDIUM A website's ability to query for payment methods must be disabled. This setting determines whether websites can check if the user has payment methods saved. If this policy is disabled, websites that use "PaymentRequest.canMakePayment" or "PaymentRequest.hasEnrolledInstrument" API will be informed that no payment methods are available. If this policy is enabled or is not set, websites can check to determine if the user has payment methods saved.
SV-235768r766877_rule EDGE-00-000056 CCI-000767 MEDIUM Suggestions of similar web pages in the event of a navigation error must be disabled. This setting allows Microsoft Edge to issue a connection to a web service to generate URL and search suggestions for connectivity issues such as DNS errors. If this policy is enabled, a web service is used to generate URL and search suggestions for network errors. If this policy is disabled, no calls to the web service are made and a standard error page is shown. If this policy is not configured, Microsoft Edge respects the user preference that is set under Services at edge://settings/privacy. Specifically, there is a "Suggest similar pages when a webpage can't be found" toggle, which the user can switch on or off. Note that if this policy has been enabled (AlternateErrorPagesEnabled), the "Suggest similar pages when a webpage can't be found setting" is turned on, but the user cannot change the setting by using the toggle. If this policy is disabled, the "Suggest similar pages when a webpage can't be found" setting is turned off, and the user cannot change the setting by using the toggle.
SV-235769r626523_rule EDGE-00-000057 CCI-000392 MEDIUM User feedback must be disabled. Microsoft Edge uses the Edge Feedback feature (enabled by default) to allow users to send feedback, suggestions, or customer surveys and to report any issues with the browser. By default, users cannot disable (turn off) the Edge Feedback feature. If this policy is enabled or not configured, users can invoke Edge Feedback. If this policy is disabled, users cannot invoke Edge Feedback.
SV-235770r766880_rule EDGE-00-000058 CCI-000381 MEDIUM The collections feature must be disabled. This setting allows users to access the Collections feature, where they can collect, organize, share, and export content more efficiently and with Office integration. If this policy is enabled or not configured, users can access and use the Collections feature in Microsoft Edge. If this policy is disabled, users cannot access and use Collections in Microsoft Edge.
SV-235771r626523_rule EDGE-00-000059 CCI-000381 MEDIUM The Share Experience feature must be disabled. If this policy is set to "ShareAllowed" (the default), users will be able to access the Windows 10 Share experience from the Settings and More menu in Microsoft Edge to share with other apps on the system. If this policy is set to "ShareDisallowed", users will not be able to access the Windows 10 Share experience. If the Share button is on the toolbar, it will also be hidden. Policy options mapping: - ShareAllowed (0) = Allow using the Share experience. - ShareDisallowed (1) = Do not allow using the Share experience.
SV-235772r626523_rule EDGE-00-000060 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Guest mode must be disabled. Enabling Guest mode allows the use of guest profiles in Microsoft Edge. In a guest profile, the browser does not import browsing data from existing profiles, and it deletes browsing data when all guest profiles are closed. If this policy is enabled or not configured, Microsoft Edge lets users browse in guest profiles. If this policy is disabled, Microsoft Edge does not let users browse in guest profiles.
SV-235773r766882_rule EDGE-00-000061 CCI-000396 MEDIUM Relaunch notification must be required. Users must be required to restart the browser to finish installation of pending updates and prevent users from continually using an old/vulnerable browser version.
SV-235774r850559_rule EDGE-00-000062 CCI-001942 MEDIUM The built-in DNS client must be disabled. This setting controls whether to use the built-in DNS client. This does not affect which DNS servers are used; it only controls the software stack that is used to communicate with them. For example, if the operating system is configured to use an enterprise DNS server, that same server would be used by the built-in DNS client. However, it is however possible that the built-in DNS client will address servers in different ways by using more modern DNS-related protocols such as DNS-over-TLS. If this policy is enabled, the built-in DNS client is used if it is available. If this policy is disabled, the client is never used.
SV-246736r766829_rule EDGE-00-000063 CCI-000381 MEDIUM Use of the QUIC protocol must be disabled. QUIC is used by more than half of all connections from the Edge web browser to Google's servers, and this activity is undesirable in the DoD. If you enable this policy or don't configure it, the QUIC protocol is allowed. If you disable this policy, the QUIC protocol is blocked.